Your Strategy Needs a Strategy: How to Choose and Execute the Right Approach

What approach does your company use to develop and execute its strategy?

We are confronted with a plethora of different approaches and frameworks which purport to answer this question—from the classic Michael Porter approach to Kim and Mauborgne's blue ocean strategy to Steve Jobs' “build it and they will come” philosophy.

The answer? There is no one approach that works for everyone—but there is a best approach for your specific context.

And it has never been more important to choose the right one: not only has the number of different approaches proliferated ten-fold over the past 40 years, but the environments in which executives must formulate and execute strategy have become increasingly diverse and complex. The difference between winning and losing has never been greater. And using the right approach pays off: firms that successfully match their approach to their environment realize significantly better returns than those who don't. And, they avoid the common frustrations stemming from lack of perceived relevance and engagement around on the strategy process. How you choose and execute the right approach is the focus of this book.